Jaipur Got UNESCO World Heritage Status
The historic walled city of Jaipur just got inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Jaipur bagged the honor at the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting on Saturday. With this, Jaipur becomes the 38th site in India to get the UNESCO World Heritage Status. It’s now the second Indian ‘city’ to earn the title. Last year, the Walled City of Ahmedabad became the first Indian city to win the UNESCO World Heritage Status. (Incidentally, Jantar-Mantar in Jaipur already had world heritage status.)
What is the Walled City of Jaipur?
The walled city of Jaipur includes its oldest parts– Chandpole, Surajpole, AjmeriGate —and some of its finest monuments including the City Palace and the iconic Hawa Mahal.
Why Jaipur? “Unlike other cities in the region located in hilly terrain, Jaipur was established on the plain and built according to a grid plan interpreted in the light of Vedic architecture. The streets feature continuous colonnaded businesses that intersect in the center, creating large public squares called chaupars.
Markets, stalls, residences, and temples built along the main streets have uniform facades. The city’s urban planning shows an exchange of ideas from ancient Hindu and modern Mughal as well as Western cultures. The grid plan is a model that prevails in the West, while the organization of the different districts refers to traditional Hindu concepts. Designed to be a commercial capital, the city has maintained its local commercial, artisanal and cooperative traditions to this day,” UNESCO’s citation for Jaipur reads.
What this means for Jaipur
Not that Jaipur needs any more endorsement, but UNESCO World Heritage Status will help attract an even greater number of tourists to the city, boosting the local economy. Other destinations in Rajasthan—from Ranthambore to Udaipur—also stand to benefit. The UNESCO certification will also help attract funds toward cultural projects and conservation initiatives. A World Heritage Status also typically brings with it certain restrictions and obligations—specifically around construction and infrastructure. This could place certain limitations, hopefully for the better, on construction activity within the walled city of Jaipur.
If you’re planning your next trip to Jaipur, then dont miss the iconic architectural legacy and vibrant culture’s “new claim to fame” tag of the pink city Jaipur.
